Impact of Metacognitive Awareness on Basic Eight Students’ Performance in Social Studies

Abstract

The study investigated the impact of metacognitive awareness on Basic Eight students’ performance in Social Studies in Area of Kogi State, Nigeria. Three research questions and three hypotheses were addressed in the study. The study adopted correlational survey research design. The population consisted of 3,957 Upper Basic Eight students that offer Social Studies (male=2,500, females= 1,457) from 150 co-educational secondary schools. A sample size of 250 Basic Eight Social Studies students was used for the study. Two instruments: Social Studies Performance Test (SOSPT) and Students Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (SMAI) aided data collection. The coefficient of reliability for SOSPT was 0.87, and that of SMAI was 0.73. The data collected were analyzed using regression analysis to answer the research questions and to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. It was found among others that there was significant impact of metacognitive awareness on Basic Eight students’ mean performance scores in Social Studies. There was significant impact of metacognitive awareness on Basic Eight male and also female students’ mean performance scores in Social Studies. The study recommends among others that School authorities and administrators should make provision for activities that stimulate and expose students to metacognitive awareness which could improve their performance in content taught in Social Studies. Curriculum planners should include metacognitive strategies in the Social Studies curriculum to direct teachers on how to use it to improve students' performance. Besides school administrators and curriculum planners, this study has implications for the Social Studies teachers and the learners.